Time Reverse
by ChasingJudai
Summary: What if Serah was given another chance to relive a timeline after she died?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Serah happens to be my favorite female character and Hope is my favorite male character in the Final Fantasy 13 series ! This story will be divided in Serah and Hope's perspective and you'll know it if you see Hope or Serah in the title. ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 13-2.

Summary: Takes place after Serah dies in Final Fantasy 13-2. What if after Serah had died she actually said yes to a reality she doesn't remember? What if Noel and Mog remember Serah but she doesn't? What if Yeul is actually living in the timeline instead of dying constantly? Then that begs the question of what she is doing with Caius. What if Snow left but it wasn't just for finding Lightning? What if Serah had been the one who left to find Lightning? Also, what if Bodhum actually turned into a sea-side town of poverty instead of a relaxing place and Hope's hometown, Palumpolum, also turned into a place of poverty? Will Serah help provide for Bodhum whilst looking for her sister or will New Bodhum be on the verge forever? And what exactly is Hope's role in this story? I mean the younger Hope not the older one. Will he also go on a journey to look for his friends? But wait. Why was he even separated from them in the first place?

Chapter 1: Serah Believes That She Has To Do It!

Bodhum was teeming with a multitude of monsters and though Serah had tried to shut her ears off from the shrieks that people had daily given, they still seemed to ring clear in her mind as she lay uncomfortably on her bed sheets and tried to not worry about how Team Nora was fighting a fierce battle outside.

Prosperous places of Cocoon were now just vanishing into thin air as monsters considered to prowl and devour humans day and night. Sanctum had realized how out of hand events were occurring and resorted back to their previous activities with Gapra Whitewood. Monsters there were being housed for biological warfare with the other monsters infestations in other parts of Cocoon but more violence only leads to more violence.

Sanctum had even used the animal bodies to make weapons. Tusks of animals turned into the sharp end for a weapon as did teeth. Those were the recommended weapons for all the people to fight back and Sanctum would appear and toss them on the ground only to leave and deliver them to another place. Of course, steel swords and guns were also still being used.

Serah had chided herself daily for being so indecisive. The events however had reminded her of when her parents had gone off to protect her and Lightning from monsters and had gotten themselves killed for it. It reminded her of how she had been locked in a crystal as a L'Cie and Lightning had done everything to save her.

The monster's population was becoming incredibly larger by the day and while they once served as food for the people that slaughtered them it was becoming more difficult to actually retrieve food. With the scarce food supply, Snow promised to bring back any supplies he could find and had left.

Serah thought that while the water by the sandshore was still shimmering radiantly that didn't mean that it wouldn't eventually get polluted. Still, Serah just didn't know what to do. Snow was going off to help, Lightning had helped her, and she just couldn't take how she had always been the one being saved instead of actually doing the saving.

After being saved in her crystal form, Serah had looked everywhere for Lightning, her beloved sister who she cherished so much. Though she couldn't help but feel like parts of her were missing. Sazh had become a pilot mechanic and airplane driver who was aiding others in the support of getting to safer places.

Hope had offered to help Serah in her endeavour to find Lightning, scouring the place where they had rescued Serah over and over again but nothing was found. Hope had decided to study anything that may be of the utmost use for survival and aiding in his search for Lightning and exterminating the crystal Fang and Vanille were residing in by traveling to different places.

Hope reassured Serah that the money was cheap for train rides and that he'd always keep in contact with her. Serah had learned that based on the books he had read, Hope had a newfound love for technology and had invented a listening device that Serah could use to contact him if she needed to.

Everyone was doing something to help while she had been tossing and turning uncomfortably in her bed over the dreams she had.

In her dreams, she saw a man on a crystal throne with long lavender hair and feathers in it. He had black armor and his eyes were squinted but a smirk was on his face nonetheless. There was dusty architecture and the sky was pitch black. "I, Caius Ballad,am not dead. Etro has made every human have one heart and Noel must defeat the Heart of Chaos to have its power, "the man, Caius Ballad, had said.

"My heart is still intact, but hers, the Heart of Chaos, is living on in Noel Kreiss's." "While she herself is dead, her power is the only necessity that can live on." "Noel? Who could that be?," Serah thought as the man descended slowly off of his throne. "Yeul, we are from our eternal curses. The goddess is dead so let us begin," Caius said, his eyes glistening red now as he plunged his large sword into the ground and the world was wrapped in tendrils of darkness.

Serah felt like choking in the darkness. There was a girl with a golden headband on top of her long blue hair as long as Caius and a white dress on as she treaded forward in brown boots. "Caius, now that time has frozen, do you think...just maybe we can change Bhunivelze's past traditions? If you change the future, you can change the past. We can remold history as our heart desires, right?," the blue haired girl had asked, and Caius had only answered with a brief "Perhaps. We shall try."

The dream had quickly flashed to Caius falling hard onto a cracked ground and stony buildings collapsing. "Please Bhunivelve! Take my life instead! We may be servants of the gods but even so..I just thought we don't deserve to have a class hierarchy in servants of the gods! Etro didn't want this either! No one should have to work to feel worthy of anyone! I no longer have the Eyes of Etro to predict what may have happen but.., " Yeul had begun before pulling out a whip and readying a fighting position.

"I will not stand for you mistreating anyone close to me!, " Yeul had retorted defiantly though her grip was shaky and her voice, no matter how hard she tried to make it sound firm, always sounded soft. Yeul couldn't see into the future anymore but it was as Caius had said. Parts of Etro's power still remained." As seerus just like Serah, with Caius actions, since time is frozen due to him she is still alive just like you instead of being dead like intended," Bhunivelve said harshly. Though you seerus' are reborn countless times no longer will that happen. Yeul, you released Serah from her crystal sleep I granted her after Lightning and Noel had believed she had died with the little bit of power Etro's eyes gave you to change the timeline as long as you don't save yourself, preventing me from keeping her hostage and luring out Lightning, but do it again and you will be severely punished. Do not fail in your objective in taking more servants for me. Etro may be gone but I myself still am still able to make time flow any time I deem it necessary. Of course, you won't die again. Time will temporarily go and temporarily stop. Your existence wouldn't be alive because it couldn't survive with ongoing time. Etro just causes you to be reborn just like Serah that's all and an eternal stop to her existence stops the rebirth."

Yeul hadn't answered. "Do you understand, Yeul?," Bhunivelve bellowed. Yeul solemnly nodded, not liking the task bestowed upon her but doing it as means of protecting Caius. "Caius, let's go find a time gate," Yeul suggested, lifting Caius limping form up and carrying him out of the room. "Yeul, don't stain yourself," Caius had told her but Yeul paid no mind. "Says the one who had strained his body trying to bring my back to life each time."

It was Caius' turn to hesitantly nod. "I've caused enough, so this time..I'll help." "You honestly don't think I'll stop in my duty to protect you though, did you?," Caius questioned to which Yeul shook her head with a demure smile. "No, that's why I said I'd help," Yeul answered, emphasizing the last word and not backing down from a challenge of who got to do what. Caius was stubborn but Yeul was even more stubborn. She supposed that was why they got along.

Serah concluded that whoever these Yeul and Caius were in her dreams they were very close to each other. Other times, her dreams would be about a man with brunette hair and blue eyes. And this man would be talking to her sister, Lightning. "So, what will you do? Bhunivelve promised to bring Serah back to me, and I know that you'd never kill a person. So, what will you do Shadowhunter?," Lightning prodded, grasping onto a sword.

Lightning had definitely looked different in Serah's eyes. She was clad in black armor but her eyes seemed a bit lifeless. Serah wasn't sure what was going on. She wasn't kidnapped if that was what Lightning thought. No, not at all. It was quite different. "Doesn't sound like the Shadowhunter would be welcome in the future Bhunivelve seems to be offering, but I suppose it's time to stop living in the shadows. I'll try to help and find Serah," the man promised, walking away with more determined footsteps. Lightning was smiling. A rare smile, but nonetheless cherished. And that was where the dream ended.

Serah couldn't stand how she didn't understand what was occurring in her dreams. So, this time, just like how Lightning looked out for her, she decided that she was going to do the same. Serah grabbed a velvet cloak that she remembered her parents had given her growing up and the knife Lightning had given her. She knew Gadot, Yuj, Lebreau, and Maqui wouldn't approve but she just had to. Team Nora had left with Snow to help find provisions too.

Serah stared at the mirror in her room. Out of it came an antique of some sort. She wasn't even sure what it was but something was compelling her to take it. As she pulled the hood of her cloak up, she stuffed the antique in her pocket. She wondered where that mirror had even come from when suddenly memories flooded her mind.

She remembered being in a crystal sleep with Yeul and Caius there. Yeul had broken her out, just like she said she had done in her dream and had slowly put her back in her bed at New Bodhum. Serah was half- conscious at the time but she remembered Yeul putting it next to her bedside. "It's not enough but it will serve as a source of communication to help you. I'm sorry for dragging you in this but Bhunivelve doesn't know I'm not following orders," Yeul had said, a faint smile gracing her lips before turning into a frown.

"I bet Noel would be ashamed of himself about him being the Shadowhunter, but I won't hold it against him. A shadow lengthens the size of everything and I'm sure Noel lengthened the size of his future. He's no longer that Shadowhunter of course and I'm proud of him. I couldn't..I think I'm still gonna be the shadow."

"Yeul, we need to go," Caius had said, raising his hand to form a golden portal of some sort. "I'll follow after you," Yeul had said but Caius held his ground. "Trust me by myself this one time," Yeul told him lightly. "Yeul, I need to protect you at all times," Caius told her solemnly. "This isn't about ranking right. Not like I'm number one so I come first and your number two. I don't like that. I'm not that much of a kid," Yeul frowned. "Listen, how about instead of numbers? The front will be upheld on it's own and the back will support the front. I get to be the back. Just like a shadow does."

Caius smiled a bit. "You seem just a stubborn as a kid. Very well. I'll do it this time but not the other times. Understand?," Caius told her before walking away into the golden portal. "Understood," Yeul complied before turning to Serah. "Serah, I can't ask anyone directly as to what's wrong as the timeline is out of balance, but maybe this is better. Helping in secret. I guess that's a lot better than directly asking the person as there's a chance they'll lie to spare feelings." "Like I said, I go against orders of what's commonly expected."

"Lindzel isn't going to be quite happy when she finds out that her beloved mirror for admiring herself and sending messages to L'Cie for their focus," Yeul had answered, a brief chuckle escaping her lips. "She sends such vague hints for their focus but with her mirror since I do have a part of Etro residing in me, another ability I have is eliminating their focus. That will...I mean I'm sure he won't have to prove he can protect you by becoming one yet again. I hate...the thought of someone having to prove something when it's already there. I will protect people with my life."

With that resolution, Yeul opened a golden portal just as Caius had done and stepped through it. "Goodbye, Serah," Yeul said. "I know that Lightning won't have to prove you're not missing." After remembering that, Serah walked closer to the mirror, touching it a bit, only for it to become a small mirror. She wasn't sure what to trust but Yeul didn't seem like a bad person so she decided to stuff the mirror in her pocket as well.

She noticed on the back of it was a note. "This will glow every time you need an artefact to unlock a time gate. I wish you luck – Yeul" was what the note read. Serah wondered what Yeul had meant when she said he wouldn't have to become a L-Cie again. Just who was "he"? Atleast, she knew who the Shadowhunter was. He must be a companion of Lightning if he said he would help find her.

Noel. The name seemed so familiar but she didn't know why.

Serah wasn't as reckless as to leave without help. She'd warn at least one person. It was one of the reasons she hadn't left exactly to find Lightning. She trained her magic and read books Lightning left from her time as a soldier about advanced knife fighting. She also read up on the multiple worlds out of New Bodhum, so she would be familiar with how to deal with the creatures there and what spots to be incredibly careful of lest she falls into too much trouble.

Serah suddenly worried what Snow would think. He had left countless times before just to see where Lightning was and to try to provide necessary provisions such as food and water for Serah and she couldn't be anymore happier at his efforts. She was sure he would understand. At least, she hoped. She pictured Snow ruffling her hair and teasing her for being just as reckless as him.

With a note left for all the many thanks to Team Nora, Serah accessed the listening device in the headphones Hope had given her. Hooking it onto her ears, Serah pressed the green button on it's side.

"Hope, are you there?,"Serah asked. After a moments of pause, Hope finally answered. "Serah? You're using what I gave you? I'm glad to know that it works,"Hope said, proud of himself for inventing the device in the first place. "Hope, I'm...I'm leaving New Bodhum," Serah confessed soberly. "What!?,"Hope screamed, surprised by the sudden acclamation.

"I'm leaving it so I can find Lightning," Serah said, more determined."Serah!? Wait, think more carefully about this. Sazh and I are doing are best to help. Just give us more time," Hope pleaded. "I can't wait anymore. It's because you guys are trying to help that I want to help. I have to do this Hope but I can't do this alone. I know that," Serah said.

"That's why I contacted you." "You...You've been a lot more distant ever since Lightning left and with Fang and Vanille leaving, I can't imagine how hard it's been for you. Sazh is helping and Snow is helping, but they all have someone. Sazh has Dajh and Snow has Team Nora and me, but you're just doing it alone and I don't want that! Tell me where you are and I'll meet up there so we can work together to find Lightning," Serah told him.

"What if..what if you get hurt?," Hope had timidly questioned. "I promise I won't. I'll protect you and you protect me. That's how friends work, right?," Serah asked. "Friends?," Hope had tried the word, only to find a smile on his lips. "Alright," Hope agreed. "I'll guide you to where you should go. And when you reach a place that I know of, I'll take a train to meet you there." After that, a long silence enveloped the room.

"Serah?," Hope asked. "Hmm," Serah hummed. "Thanks. I was beginning to become worried that I'd always be alone. With the events occurring, I just thought that eventually everyone was going to disappear. I guess I thought separating myself from that hurt would just resolve my fear," Hope had said, clenching his fists.

"It's okay to be afraid. If we weren't, we wouldn't know why we wanted to protect what we don't wanna lose. We'd be purposeless. So, I don't blame you Hope. I actually..wanna thank you for sharing in my fear. We'll get forward," Serah had said to which Hope agreed. "I'm probably not as strong as Lightning but it's my fear that keeps me from wanting to pursue her."

"I couldn't do what you and Lightning do. Lightning's solid resolve and your courage, Serah. I'm just not sure, but I guess sometimes I don't need to know as much as I want to. When you know when a plant is about to wither, sometimes you don't even try to water it back to health. You just let it go because you know everything has to go at some point. I'll let that be my resolve," Hope said.

"You know, Maqui, Lebreau, Yuj, and Gadot didn't know why I still believed Lightning was alive but they still tried to cheer me up. I don't think you have to know to be a good friend,"Serah reasurred Hope.

Serah smiled before running out the door. The world was enveloped in crimson and black waves. The sky gray and the creatures roaming everywhere.

With a firaga blast, wolves went down. Serah used the knife Lightning gave her to take down another one. It was like that for a long time. Hope giving her directions as he could tell where her coordinates were and Serah galestriking or doing a blizzaga blast on the wolves. The wolves were being sliced down with Lightning's knife.

Suddenly, a familiar blade had crossed down into a wolf in front of Serah. Serah gazed up to see the voice belonging to the blade. "Don't hurt Serah!," the voice had yelled and Serah looked up to see Noel. "Noel!?," Serah yelled only to see a moogle next to him. There could have been a multitude of serious questions to ask the man from her dreams but instead she asked "Wait. Where did you come from? How did you get there? Is that a toy moogle?"

"We've been through this before, kupo. I'm not a toy!," the moogle said angrily. "No, but it was hard to get the little guy out of his village. When I came back here for memories sake, I didn't expect for it to be infected with the Chaos," Noel commented, as he pointed to the black and crimson waves sweeping New Bodhum.

"But..I can't believe..you're really..," Noel stuttered before grabbing her shoulders and shaking her a little. "You're really alive! It's really you!," Noel happily said, and Serah only gawked at him in confusion. "I am. Why wouldn't I be?," Serah questioned, before seeing that a bat was about to attack him. "Watch out!," Serah called, shaking out of his grip and casting aero on the bat.

"You protected me. Alright, but that's my job too," Noel said, throwing his blade like a javelin at another bat.

"This won't be like last time." What did Noel mean by "last time"? "Serah, who are you talking to? Be careful!," Hope warned. "Right. Got it, Hope," Serah told him before directing her attention at the moogle. "That moogle can turn into a crossbow and his name is Mog," Noel told her as it dropped into her arms in cross-bow form.

Serah had planned on using Lightning's knife but in honor of her memory, she decided to use it only when necessary so it wouldn't be dirtied. Slipping the knife back in her velvet cloak, she grabbed the crossbow and aimed at the creatures. "Just like old times," Noel had said, and Serah had no idea what he meant by that.

Serah had kept following until she saw a vacant area with a familiar gate of some sort. "A time gate," Serah said, wondering why they seemed familiar. "That's right. Were going to go in one to find Lightning again. I know this time you'll see her," Noel said but Serah still seemed a bit unsure. "Who are you? And what's with the moogle?," Serah asked, as the moogle had done a victory dance over all the enemies he had slain.

Noel looked at her questionably before smiling again. "Come on, Serah. It's me, Noel. Noel Kreiss," Noel had said but Serah still had a blank expression. "You..you don't remember me?," Noel asked crestfallen and Mog uttered a sad "kupo."

"No, I can't say I do. Sorry. I've only seen you in dreams," Serah sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "I know that I saw you in my dreams once and Lightning called you a "Shadowhunter." Noel's eyes widened and he turned around as guilt washed over him. "Your dreams? That's in the past. I'm no longer that," Noel said, his back facing Serah. "I know that..I trust you," Serah confessed. Noel gazed back her, surprised. "You seem so familiar. I wish I knew you but I know that your a man of your word. You keep it. No wonder Yeul believes in you wholeheartedly."

"Yeul!?," Noel outburst as he lifted his head up. "Yes. She was also in my dream," Serah said, wondering why he was so surprised. "Along with Caius." "What were they doing?," Noel asked, before coughing a bit, as sweat trickled down his pale ghastly skin. "Noel, are you okay?," Serah asked, panicking at Noel's condition. He looked sick. Like he had been fighting too much than he could handle and before she knew it, Noel fell down.

"H-Hey," Serah said, scared. "Noel! Noel! Wake up!" No response was being heard. The once vacant area was now crawling with monsters and Serah was desperately striving to uphold Noel. "H-Hope! Are you there!?," Serah asked, only to get no response. The signal must have been lost and that was why Hope had stopped making responses during her talk with Noel.

The creatures were creeping closer when suddenly something in her pocket was glowing. It was the antique and it was being absorbed into the time gate. Before, Serah knew it, Noel and her body were flying high up in the air and emitting a golden glow and she vanished from New Bodhum.

Author's Note: That was long but I hope you liked the first chapter of this fanfic. I personally thought it was sad how Hope said "everyone left me" when reunited with Serah in ff13-2. I wanted to ask "WHY!?" I hope you are liking how I'm delving into Yeul's character and Caius' bond with her. I thought Caius and Yeul's bond was not delved into enough personally. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Serah and Noel : Rebirth Of Bond, Serendipity Side-Quest

It was hard maintaining a grip on Noel while levitating through the bright tow-colored magical crossroads. Serah wanted to believe that it was her first time in the time gate but her heart believed otherwise. A memory flashed in her mind again. "This place is incredible," Serah breathed out, floating alongside Noel.

"It's the Historia Crux,"Noel had informed her. "The crossroads of time are here. Now it's your turn to travel through time.""And this is how you were able to travel backwards from the future?," Serah asked, the memory now fading away from her. "I've been here before. Countless times," Serah realized after recollection of that event.

Her landing was abrupt and one could argue that she could break her legs the way she landed but she strove to be careful with Noel's unconscious form in her grasp. "Serah! Are you okay? Where are you? My coordinates only seem to half-way picking up where you are. The signal is not strong," Hope had asked and Serah stared agape at where she was.

The night sky was looming over Serah and what she was looking at was like a castle in the sky. Although as Serah entered the castle, she saw that there was a man that looked just like Hope, only older. "I'm fine but..," Serah began before not knowing how to continue the conversation. I'm fine but there's someone who is a grownup version of you is here. Nope. Serah was not continuing that discussion.

This Hope was yellow-suited and currently talking to a lady cosplaying as a chocobo. "Like I said, I need the Chaos Crystal for a very important mission," the Hope look-alike said. "Of course," the lady agreed, handing him a crimson crystal. "You got the weapon?," a man with a large green coat and an afro had asked him. "Sazh," Serah mentally recognized. Sazh hadn't grown up at all.

"The room I'm in looks like a casino," Serah confessed earning confusion from Hope. "So, you left New Bodhum and magically landed in a casino? Well, I don't know many casinos seeing as how I'm underage and I'm surprised there is one close to New Bodhum. Tell me the name of it," Hope answered, not expecting Serah's journey to go like this.

"The door read Serendipity," Serah said, looking for a place that Noel could rest in. "Got it. I'll let you know what I find," Hope said, before the signal cut off. "I do have the weapon, Sazh," the older Hope answered. "I just hope we'll be able to make strong enough weapons to fend off the chaos. To find Lightning," Hope said. "If we do this, maybe Bhunivelve would let Serah go, seeing how we became stronger. Noel contacted us with this and I owe him for all his efforts with Serah," older Hope thought.

"Right. I hope so too. Being here, again. But when I left to tell Serah I was going to help find Lightning in any way I can, I hadn't expected my airship to drive me and Dajh into this place. I almost thought this was heaven when I first got here. Scared my weary bones a little," Sazh answered, shaking his head into what he had gotten him into as Dajh clung to his side.

"Thank goodness," Serah thought happily. "Now, I can travel with Sazh and eventually Hope..when he comes." Although her main priority was finding Noel a place to rest. His weight was starting to feel heavy on her. She was about to keep moving when Hope and Sazh took notice of her.

"S-Serah? N-Noel?," the older Hope stuttered and Sazh equally seemed surprised, though not for the same reason Hope was. "Serah!? What are you doing here? Where's Snow? How did you get here? What's wrong with Noel?," Sazh bombarded her with questions making Serah's head dizzy. It seemed this older Hope look alike and Sazh knew Noel and Serah would've of questioned why but she was sure she'd get some response from Noel like how he had meant Sazh and Hope before.

If that was the case, why didn't she remember? "I..left New Bodhum. To look for Lightning and Snow left with Team Nora to do the same thing. I..couldn't wait and I didn't want to be useless in not looking for her like everyone else. She's my sister. It's my responsibility too. And as for Noel, I don't know what happened but he fell unconscious. I think maybe he fought too much. Is there a room for him to rest in?," Serah explained all too fastly.

"Serah," the older Hope said, a tear strolling down one eye, along with a broken smile. "Is this real?" Serah didn't know how to respond. "I don't know who you are but you look just like Hope," Serah bluntly said, and Hope felt a weight crashing his heart. "You..don't remember me? I'm Hope, ten years in the future. You traveled to see me at Yaaschas Machif and then at Academia. I helped to break Fang and Vanille out of their pillar and you beat Caius but then you..," Hope trailed off, biting his tongue in prevention of the horror filled statement he was about to say.

"Then, I what?," Serah asked, fearing that she might not like the answer. "You..you died,"Hope admitted and Serah felt her heart throbbing and sweat covering her body. "What? No, thats..that's ridiculous!," Serah yelled.

"That is ridiculous! Serah is right here and living and she's been living. I do remember seeing you older like this, Hope, but I know for a fact Serah never died," Sazh said and Serah interjected with "You saw him like this? When?" "Don't you remember Serah? Just like Hope, I helped in your fight with Caius," Sazh explained. "Why would I attack Caius?," Serah asked, getting fed up. The Caius in her dreams seemed like a noble man, justly defending Yeul, so she didn't understand why Sazh and Hope would say this.

"Both of your memories have been rewritten because the past was changed," Hope thought, his eyes dawning with understanding. "So, because Serah didn't die like she would of originally done, she has no memories of the time before she died. Only portions of them since Etro's power of recollection remains. The same goes for us. Only portions of us remember Serah dying. Noel and I probably do. Sazh doesn't."

"This is a paradox," Hope announced. "A para-what?," Sazh asked, not following where Hope was going. "A paradox. Events of the past have changed, meaning the present and future will as well. A paradox is something that wasn't originally intended. Like how an object from another time isn't suppose to be here. These paradoxes need to be solved. Although, Serah you..need to remember. That seems like a paradox but it's just one step closer to resolving this paradox reality," Hope explained.

Serah's head was spinning. She was about to say how insane the concept of time travel felt along with paradoxes and yet it didn't. The paradox theory made sense too. Serah had seen objects dating back from another time era in New Bodhum and had no explanation up until now. Serah also always felt like pieces of her memory were missing.

She remembered in her dreams sometimes fighting Caius and her falling down at Noel's feet as he screamed her name repeatedly in anguish, wailing about how she shouldn't have died. She remembered a girl in her dreams named Alyssa saying how she believed she shouldn't even exist and Serah feeling the same way. The more she thought about, it wasn't harder to believe she had died and yet a lingering statement still resided in her. Sazh still couldn't believe it.

"Maybe..I did die. I..changed the future, didn't I?," Serah asked, only for more silence to fill the room. "Alright. If I didn't change the future, I will this time. I need to find Lightning and I won't stop. Time doesn't stop either so why should I ," Serah resolved, and Hope and Sazh gazed at her. "Where do you and Lightning get your energy from?," Hope asked with a smile before escorting her to a room where Noel could sleep. "From being pink-haired hardheads," Sazh commented only to result in a laughing Dajh and Serah.

Noel slept on blue bed sheets, looking paler by the minute. "Serah," Hope said, as she gazed out Noel's form. "Do you remember wanting another reality?" Serah seemed surprised at the question before tapping her finger under her chin in thought at it. "I remember..a decaying New Bodhum," Serah said.

"It..scared me. Noel told me that we weren't suppose to defeat Caius and time had stopped. Yet I told him not to give up and eventually we met Yeul. We were trapped in the end of time. Yeul couldn't see visions anymore because there was no time. Yeul told us there was contradictions to us being here. Someone who already had disappeared wasn't suppose to be with another end. They were suppose to be by themselves. Of course, the thoughts of the death are incoherent since there's so many lingering desires and since time is also connected to our mentality, time didn't really know where to put the dead and so Etro made a rule that if they ended up in the right place, they stayed there and if they ended up in a wrong contradictory place they don't stay there. So, time opened up again and allowed Noel, Yeul, and I to disappear out of the end of time but Yeul asked me if I would want to forget being dead and I said yes. I told her that I wouldn't be able to journey with Noel again if I ended up in the wrong place because the timeline intended for me to be dead and would wipe my existence out. Yeul agreed, and that's...all I remember."

"But I guess despite Yeul's efforts to help me, I still need to remember my death otherwise a small portion will be missing out of what's much greater and I won't be able to help anyone." "I see," Hope had answered finally before handing an antique to Serah. Serah looked at it questionably.

"It's an artefact. You use it to go through the time gates," Hope explained and Serah nodded in understanding. Hope was about to leave before a thought came to mind. "Serah..with that artefact you can meet me in the Bresha Ruins," Hope said. "Please do. I have important news for both you and Noel. There's another gate hidden in the Chocobo racing room for you to use that artefact."

Serah nodded and Hope took his leave. Noel often stirred in his sleep, tossing and turning in the blankets. He was having a nightmare, as he called "Don't leave, Serah, Yeul, and Caius" multiple times. Serah was there though. Holding his hand gently and firm with worry yet also steadfast determination.

"You'll be fine. I know you will be. You're strong, Noel, and I'm not gonna leave you," Serah told him. After a few minutes, Noel's eyes flashed open to meet Serah's eyes. "You woke up!," Serah gasped, putting a hand on her heart in relief as her lips curled up joyfully. Noel's head hung down and he rubbed it groggily.

"What happened?," Noel inquired before quickly regaining his senses and jolting up, startling Serah in the process. " I'm glad you're awake. You..fell unconscious when we were leaving New Bodhum so I brought you back here," Serah explained, leaving Noel to recollect his memories at the thought.

"I see," Noel said, a bit too quietly. With his head lowered he muttered "I failed to protect you again." "Don't hurt yourself over that," Serah told him but Noel shook his head. "You could of been hurt." "So could you," Serah retorted. "I don't want you getting hurt over protecting me and I know you don't want me getting hurt over doing the same thing."

Serah held her hand out with a sweet smile. "You don't always have to be in the front of the battle, Noel. It's the same for me too. You're gonna put stress on yourself by always upholding that perfect "protected" front. How about we just help each other's back? None of us will have to worry that way," Serah suggested.

Noel was still hesitant. "I just don't want to lose you again," Noel admitted, his hands shaking. Serah placed her hands on top of Noel's and made room to sit next to him. "What do your hands look like to you?," Serah asked, which caused Noel to shoot a puzzled look to her. "Just tell me," Serah urged again and Noel didn't really want to tell her what he thought of it.

"I just see a fist," Noel mumbled and Serah urged him to look harder.

"I see..I..Serah, I just don't see anything except a shaking blur. Years have gone by and I have nothing but guilt over what I wasn't able to protect! I have nothing but that going out of grasp, and I keep telling myself that I'm going to move forward out of the shadows but all I just have are memories of the past only!," Noel confessed hurriedly.

Serah wasn't budging though at his outburst. Entwining her fingers with his, she told him "I see a lot of wrinkles on them from being worried so much but I know each of those wrinkles represent each of the times you were striving to do what needed to be done," Serah encouraged him. "Even if your hands are shaking, what they accomplish right now is an impressive feat only Noel Kreiss can do. We will change the future."

"Serah," Noel said, his head raising along with his eyes now glistening of hope. Serah let his hands go before standing up and walking around. "I still don't remember you, Noel. Not completely but it's fine. My memories are a blur just like your hands are a shaking blur, and trying to remember certainly strains my head enough to cause wrinkles but at least those are the attempts of trying to find my memory out. I'm happy to have met you."

"Thanks Serah," Noel said genuinely, a small sincere smile gracing his lips. The moment was bliss until Serah asked "Wait, have you seen Mog?" Noel shook his head and Serah panicked, roaming the room nervously. "Oh no, oh no, oh no. The poor guy is on his own. Just like my cat Snow was when I adopted him but I made sure he found his family again. He couldn't have gone far right Noel? Right?," Serah said, fear dripping on every word she said.

"Serah, relax. Mog just goes off to play the games at Serendipity. Mog always said he loved to swim in gil," Noel said, with a carefree smile. Serah relaxed and breathed out "thank goodness." "I have such a soft heart for animals. Baby flans, my pet Snow, and I just don't know what would happen if I lost Mog," Serah told him.

"Really? I just think they make great food," Noel admitted. "Noel!," Serah yelled. "What? I'm a monster hunter," Noel said, gesturing to his blades for emphasis. "I guess I understand. Snow likes to hunt monsters for food too, but he tries to make sure not to do it too much in front of me for my sake," Serah reasoned mentally.

"By the way, Hope said to meet him at the Bresha Ruins after you recovered but..," Serah trailed off. "But what?," Noel asked. "I..wanna play some of the games," Serah told him and Noel relented with a chuckle. "Only for a little while," Noel reminded her. "This place reminds me of Cocoon's Nautilus. It's such a fun amusement park," Serah beamed at him before rambling on about fun rides,plushies to win, fireworks, and anything else her mind could fathom.

"It's incredibly crowded though and the chocobo races in such a small indoor area kinda makes me queasy," Noel noted, apologizing for bumping into people several times. "Have you ever been to an amusement park, Noel?," Serah asked. Noel shook his head. "No, I didn't have time for things like this," Noel told her.

Serah pondered before coming across a machine for picking up plushies. One in particular stood out. It was a giant behemoth. "That one looks like it would be your favorite one to have," Serah commented as Noel gazed at it thoughtfully. "I'm not even sure where I'd keep that," Noel concluded.

"Well, I'm winning something. Let me know if you want something. It's your experience too," Serah replied, putting her gil in. Serah won a Carbuncle keychain and gave Noel a behemoth keychain. "Well, this one looks easier to keep. Thanks Serah," Noel told her and Serah beamed. The rest of the day had been full of games just like that with Serah spending her coins and Noel occasionally taking turns with her.

Though before the two partners left, something crucial rang through their mind. There had been a fortune teller with a whole bag of paper fortunes, which was a new addition to Serendipity. Serah's fortune had read "You're special in a way you will soon understand." "Really?," Serah had asked in a happy but also in a disbelieving tone. "You always have been," Noel reassured her placing a hand on her shoulder and chuckling a bit to which Serah also chuckled.

Noel's fortune had read "Starting anew is always hard but there'll always be someone dear to help you." He had looked at Serah at the time when he had read it, who was laughing at how Mog had stood in front of the crystal ball the fortune teller had and had whispered "I know the future, kupos."

Noel smiled for a while before poking Mog and teasing him, saying, "Oh really, wise guy." "Stop Noel! Don't you mock me! Your future will be bad if you do," Mog taunted to which Serah continued to chuckle. Although, simple happy moments like this would soon dwindle down to a hard journey. Still, Noel and Serah had hoped for the best as they marched onto Bresha Ruins.

Author's Note: Awww, I really like Noel and Serah. Whether friendship or a romance pairing, I love anything that includes them and of course Mog. Also, when Hope(the older one) asked Serah if she remembered wanting another reality, I was making a reference to the paradox ending- Beneath a Timeless Sky. I loved the paradox endings. They were all so interesting that I wished the game made realities of them that we could play in. I even liked the secret ending called "The goddess is dead" where Caius had said "Let us begin Yeul." I thought this could of been interpreted so many ways. People could of thought of this as Caius' insanity yet heartwarming desperate motivation with Yeul, or people could of thought of Yeul as more of a villain now(a very interesting concept, but I'm not sure how that would work. Still cool. I think Alyssa could of been an interesting villain too but I'll delve more into that later.) I like Serendipity but I feel like it could of been even more fun with a sidequest episode of Serah, Noel, and Mog acting like goofs. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-Thoughts of New World and Bartholomew. Cocoon Project of Hope Estheim in Future?

Hope sat in the library he had managed to find ever since the invasion of monsters on Bodhum and Palumpolum. The owners of the library, Raul and Sherry, were very kind, offering him hospitality, when they had saw him running from the creatures. He was glad that it was safe, but he had still made a promise to explore any place to find Lightning for Serah.

Hope honestly missed Lightning. He could remember Serah's tears as she crouched down, repeating, "She was right here, Snow. Offering us her blessing!"

So much had happened in the past years. He had recalled his anger with Snow for the death of his mother, Nora, but afterwards..the anger was there for sure but...the words that got to him were when Snow had yelled, " I can't fix it! No words can amount for someone's death!" "There's no answer, Snow! So, you're just going to run away, Snow!?," Hope shouted, fury building up in him as he clutched Lightning's knife.

"What do I deserve then Hope!?," Snow asked, his hands on his head as he was trying to withstand the pressure of the moment. Deserve. That word alone was something..that was so hard to handle. Hope and his mom did not deserve to be in the Purge and to be thrown into all of this.

Hope wanted to turn back time, back to when they were watching fireworks, his mom was making a wish, and he had teased her about being childish and she would tease him as well, but he knew that would never happen. Despite being about to stab Snow with Lightning's knife, Snow had still rescued him. He had felt the bitter anguish in Snow's words and had realized how much his mom's death had affected him. He wasn't cold and unfeeling towards it.

After Hope had woken up, Snow had told him, "I can't fix death. We both want an answer for why something like this has happened but there isn't one! All I can do is move forward and carry their dreams."

"Carry their dreams, huh," Hope had repeated, as Lightning's knife dropped on the ground.

"Just picture all of what they wanted and allow them to live by accomplishing those desires! I know it's not the same but I'm trying! I'm trying! I'm always doing this! I'll set it straight again! I'll do whatever it takes!," Snow shouted, banging his fist on the ground.

After taking heavy breaths Snow stated, "All I can do..is move forward."

"I can't believe I'm admitting this," Hope began, and Snow cocked his head to him, his eyes brimming with sorrow. "But..at least..at least we both want to set it straight. Don't take this wrong way. I'm just like Lightning. What protecting..have you done?"

"Yikes. Reminding me of when she slugged me," Snow stated, bringing his hand up to his cheek as if he could still feel the sting. "However..I understand..wanting to do whatever it takes to make whatever is wrong right again. I guess..you have my respect in that way."

"I don't forgive you Snow, but I will honor your goal.""It's also time for me..to move forward."

"Hmph, even if I'm not the best at helping and you don't appreciate my efforts, I'm glad you've realized that," Snow grunted, lifting himself up from the floor. "I'll live..my own way." Hope stood up, saying, "I'll live my own way too."

"Then, I suppose we have something in common," Snow chuckled, pumping his fists together. For the first time, Hope smiled a bit, before walking off and retorting, "You're still an idiot."

Hope couldn't say he always agreed with Snow's way of doing things. In fact, most of the time he wanted to yell his head off, but..he understood that Snow was trying and that was all that really mattered.

Hope believed Lightning wasn't gone because he remembered another memory after she had given Snow and Serah their blessing to marriage.

"Lightning," Hope began, looking out at her, as he situated himself on a white bed. She sat on a chair, legs crossed, directing her gaze towards him. "I've been..having odd dreams. They start with me meeting you but you always fade away afterwards. There's also..one name that you keep saying. Bhunivelvze. The idea though is..crazy. I don't even know why I'm having this dream."

Lightning had her face turned to the side, and after moments of silence she replied, "Sounds like one heck of a dream." Hope silently nodded, though sensed something odd about Lightning. "That time was lost. Frozen, but time continued forward," Lightning thought. "Etro is residing peacefully in her rest while Bhunivelvze can only make time stop and go temporarily, meaning..some of his powers are halted. Eternity is not the desire. I'll take whatever I can get from that."

"Valhalla is a world influencing lost moments. Ever since I was guarding Etro's legacy there as she promised to also help me reunite with Serah, I saw all of those dear to me lose memories and have odd foreboding in the sense of dreams. Hope is one of them."

"Lightning, what's wrong?," Hope inquired and Lightning quickly blurted "It's nothing. Your dreams are just dreams. Don't worry about them." Silence filled the room before Hope interupted with "If something is wrong, you can..you can tell me, Lightning. Were partners."

Lightning gazed up before saying "I know I can count on you even if time changes drastically. You've grown a lot, Hope. When I'm ready, I'll let you know."

"Lightning?," Hope questioned again as she was about to leave. "Thanks. For always being there for me."

Lightning gave a small smile before exiting the door and answering him back with "Likewise."

Hope furrowed his brows as the screen with red dots serving as location markers weren't at all helping him. He couldn't find anything about the place Serendipity. He couldn't stay in Palumpolum for long. Just as the monster population was increasing in New Bodhum, it was also increasing in Palumpolum. It was getting harder to live there as he would always have to cross the streets by knocking the creatures down with the boomerang and potions were also getting scarce at shops.

Sanctum was becoming more interested in the science of monsters than the actual handling of them and it was unsettling to say the least. Hope's father, Bartholomew, was a man of politics who suggested that a new Cocoon needed to be made. He had been patrolling Palumpolum one day and had come across an artifact that was spherical, black, and with red specks in it that the monsters had been fighting over.

It was odd and though risky, he had thrown a piece of meat to distract them and retrieve the artifact. Bartholomew suggested having Sanctum run labs on it and had found an interesting device coated in dust that had the words,"Oracle Drive", engraven on it boldly and a green button.

Bartholomew pressed the button and immediately a holographic image popped up. Bartholomew had caught a glimpse of a man with gray hair and a yellow shirt with a blue tie. When the image had focused on the man, his heart skipped a beat. "Hope!?," Bartholomew shouted, as he watched the Hope look alike talk to a girl with light pink pigtails and a man with brunnette hair. In this older looking Hope's hand was the same artifact Bartholomew had found and he had called it a "Graviton Core." "With it, we can form a new Cocoon," the older Hope had stated and Bartholomew wasn't sure what to say.

What was this? He had explained it to Hope and even shown it to him but Hope also wasn't sure how to react.

"Serah? Who's the man in blue with her? And if that's me why do I look older? How can that be? Why would that be me?," Hope wondered. "Sanctum has thought of the Oracle Drive as a prophecy telling device," Bartholomew explained. "So..I'm helping build a new Cocoon..in the future?," Hope asked, confused by all he was seeing. "Were not even sure how to use these Graviton Cores but..there must be an answer somewhere. We need a new Cocoon," Bartholomew wondered out loud.

This made no sense whatsoever. Hope folded up the tool he had made to track Serah's coordinates up into his pockets and found himself glad for making it portable. He then placed on a chip to his ear, to connect to the chip he made for Serah whenever he needed to communicate. He was going to go over all of the insane events that had happened thus far before hearing a loud shrill scream outside.

Hope ran outside, seeing swarms of darkness and creatures trampling onto one another. He saw no escape this time though he had thrown his boomerang around, he was about to get cornered. "Now, now, that's no fun at all!," a mischevious voice had stated. "W-Who's there!?," Hope called, glancing all around for that voice.

His eyes finally came upon a girl with familiar pink pigtail, a black dress, and blue eyes. "Serah!? How did you get here!?," Hope asked, more perplexed than ever before. "No, no! Not Serah! Lumina! Say it with me now! L-U-M-I-N-A. Lumina!," Lumina retorted, bringing out a sharp black sword to slice down the creatures. She slowly approached Hope with a smile that reaked of sneakiness and picked up the boomerang he had on the ground. Hope already knew that whoever this person was looking like Serah it wasn't her. "Oooh! This is what you fight with? Fun!," Lumina said, as she threw the boomerang to the creatures. "H-Hey! Give that back!," Hope yelled, stumbling up to try to grasp it.

"I wouldn't dream of taking something precious away," Lumina taunted, as she carelessly threw the boomerang back to Hope. "After all, I'm not like some people in the world. I'm benevolent, bringing the true reality! Hey, hey. Speaking of true reality, do you want to know where Lightning is and Serah?" "You..you know where Lightning and Serah is!?," Hope asked. It was at this that Lumina snickered. "Oh, you humans. You hear one thing and suddenly would do whatever need comes to achieve it," Lumina continued, tossing an artifact up to reveal a large gate.

"If you want to know more, come and follow me!," Lumina said, melding in with the gate glowing golden and holding a hand out to Hope. Hope was skeptical of Lumina knowing anything about Serah and Lightning but there was no other place to go as Palumpolum was currently invaded by creatures. He'd decide what to do after he took her hand. Without a second to waste, he was gone with Lumina.

Author's Note: YAY TO HOPE TIME! Hope is such an awesome character and I love his dynamics with Snow and Lightning. I also really, really, really like Lumina's character. She's so mysterious and playful. Just what do you think her agenda is in this fanfic? What will Hope do? You'll have to stay tuned for the next chapter! Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Actuality vs Illusions: Lumina and Hope's Truth Despite Denial

"I knew the real one would be more fun to talk with!," a playful voice said, and Hope's eyes slowly fluttered open. He saw Serah again. "No, not Serah. Lumina," Hope corrected mentally, glancing around to only see a setting of pitch black. "Oh? You have my name down. Good," Lumina clapped and Hope averted his gaze while muttering, "Whatever." He then wondered how she had known what he was thinking. Did he say out loud without noticing?

"Ha ha! The real one is definitely better! The false one just goes along with everything," Lumina rambled. "You have no idea how irritating it is for you to not ask questions and just give answers." Hope paused for a moment before asking, "What do you mean by real one?" There can't be another Hope, could there?

"Ah! Story time!," Lumina shouted ecstatically. "Allow me to ask a fun little question. Would you bring someone dead back?" Hope's thoughts immediately went to his mom but he quickly shook his head. "That's not possible," Hope quickly replied. "I have to move on." "Really? And here I wanted to bring Serah back and Lightning back," Lumina said. "After all, both of their souls are on me. If I exist any longer, I would only destroy them because of loss of identity and I don't really want that."

Hope didn't understand anything that she was saying. "Although..if I don't exist, they would be destroyed, because I am part of their souls. It's a contradiction. Let's just say..I'm a copy of the dead." "What are you talking about?," Hope questioned. "When a person leaves, it still doesn't change the fact that there was a time that they existed," Lumina explained.

"Well, let's say someone could take that copy of their previous existence and bend it to their will so that person can never rest in peace." "Makes you wonder if it's better being dead." Hope's thoughts slowly drifted to the thoughts of his falling mom and slowly afterwards a falling Serah and Lightning. "IT'S NOT!," Hope screamed, his fear popping stressed veins out of his arms. "You're right. Now, now, no need for me to take it to such a dark tone," Lumina swiftly replied as if her previous statement had no value. "Why..? How could you keep talking so casually after what you suggested!?," Hope questioned and Lumina merely sniggered, seeing the whole scenario as risible. "Are you saying you want it to have value? You want to understand the horror of seeing people's flailing limbs marred with blood dripping off ever so slowly **every**.. **single**.. **second**..? I had no idea you were so..insane, to want to learn things like that," Lumina taunted.

"Quiet!," Hope snapped back. "Why would I? I'm having a blast," Lumina casually countered and Hope was so angry by now that he raised his boomerang to strike her. "Ah, no no no! You don't want to do that! If you beat me, you beat Serah and Lightning's soul! Are you really that cruel of a person?," Lumina asked, making a lighter holographic version of Serah appear out of her.

"S-Serah!?," Hope yelled, his boomerang now dropped onto the floor. "Don't do it, Hope. I thought we were friends," the holographic Serah whispered and Hope slowly backed away, losing his footing. "I don't..I don't understand," Hope choked out.

"That's how it is," Lumina said seriously. "Anyone can grow a heart and not necessarily be one of the god's lackeys. Anyone can be connected to death but still grow their own self because another end isn't suppose to be connected to another end. In death, you are suppose to be by yourself which means..

"Your heart isn't completely gone, Lightning. Bhunivelze just wants you to believe that," Lumina thought.

"However..we're just illusions if life wasn't intended for us originally," Lumina admitted. "The sadness of realizing everything is a lie and so what's best is to constantly deny. You don't wanna analyze all of death! Deny anyone ever being dead. Oh and those of the dead are in people's mentality and not in one of those garbage "They live insides our memories" way. Were not really existing so since time has to be able to read someone's personality we can be our own person and borrow anyone's mentality." Hope really didn't understand anything that was going on.

"Are you saying..there is a way to revive the dead?," Hope asked. "That's right," Lumina sang but Hope interrupted with "That's ridiculous," which made Lumina pout before the smile returned to her face. "Alright. I see it takes a harder time to gain your trust..just like Lightning," Lumina said. "But..never rule out the possibility of illusions!" "Actually, when you think about it, everyone here..is an **illusion**." "When souls die they go into the gate of the afterlife operated by goddess Etro for reincarnation so..if anyone ever did want to be resurrected it would be true forms and not..a copy of the past and..now no one is operating that gate, which is why the god Bhunivelze…"

"Hmm, interesting. All of the gods and goddesses are rulers of death so they must have a complex reason for why they always bring people back. One possibly leading to the road of sorrow. Even if Yeul believes they are such unjust deities for their hierarchy, why didn't they just kill off the L'Cie instead of putting them in a crystal? Unless..ah, of course! They're all separated from their bodies and are only in their thoughts which means..this was apart of Etro's plan! Thoughts have no beginning and end but go on eternally, which means an eternal life can be granted without it just being a copy of previous existence. It's hard to survive an ongoing time but it's different if you freeze time. If it's frozen, it's not dead yet. Time was stopped due to the eternal stop of Etro's existence and her methods with crystals."

Hope was getting frustrated now and screamed, "I don't understand what you are talking about!"

"The concept of stopped time must have formed on the what if scenario of everyone suddenly moving and then everyone..stops," Lumina began. "They're not moving but they're still existing, and they can't die because no one can move to kill them. Etro must of done this as some means to share an ideal world Bhunivelze wanted with no suffering. Basically, this is..a dream world because all you have in a dream is the thoughts not the body." "Were separated from the real world, Earth, and while it may be nice to only be in our personal thoughts, we have no idea if our bodies are being used as a vessel and since our heart is in our body, someone could be damaging it. "No one is brainwashing it, but damaging it so that when it's gone there will be room for another heart to be destroyed."

"To think Bhunivelze would go this far to get us away from what he views as the selfish mankind of earth. He even made the planets Cocoon and Pulse with the Fal'cie's help, but Cocoon has fallen more than once in the timeline and time and time, it is being rebuilt. This is Bhunivelze's anguish of what humanity means to him. It is his way of thinking no matter how many times he tries to help, they will be stubborn and war against eachother."

"Why would..why would any of this be done?," Hope inquired. "It might be Bhunivelze's way of justice," Lumina concluded. "Human hearts would not have the glory of the afterlife but instead trapped inside the flesh which is always coated in the blood, reminding them of all the fallen ones on earth and they finally got the judgement they so rightly deserved, especially if it meant restricting their body and exterminating them one by one, to punish them for their individuality."

Hope couldn't believe it. All of this was so...morbid.

"Do you understand? Thoughts hold the body, and if it's not holding it, something else has to hold the body so..that's why there is an imposter of you, Hope."

Hope's jaw stood agape, as his mind was reeling from all of this talk on time, death, and life. It was all too much to think about. "However, you can..fight back. You're connected to death just like me so..you can be yourself and borrow someone else's mentality. When there is..more than one soul on you, including yourself, you have infinite possibilities to change the timeline, since you're borrowing multiple lives and time lengths of those lives, but..it's safer to use time gates. Using someone else's mentality can cause a loss of identity. Alright! You seem like a smart kid, so tell me what secret word comes out of unscrambling identity?"

Hope fumbled for words before Lumina quickly blurted, "Too slow! The word is deity. Once we lose our identity, we become nothing more than a pawn of deities. Lightning never wanted something like that, did she? She decides her own fate. Fighting for no reason is just slow destruction if you got no meaning to support yourself onto."

Those words. Hope realized that was the mentality of Lightning and he was no longer that skeptical of Lumina having no connection to Lightning but..that didn't mean that she couldn't use him for some ulterior motives knowing full well he wanted to get to Lightning.

"Allow me to tell you all of the times where everyone has died as to convince you that we are all copies of when we previously existed." Lumina extended her hand out and immediately holographic images popped out with multiple bodies plummeting to their fall. Hope could see a man with purple hair, a girl with blue hair, a boy with brown hair, and in the midst of all of that, all he could recognize was everyone he had traveled with: Lightning, Sazh, Snow, Fang, Vanille, and Serah.

"First, the goddess of Etro has died due to that purple haired man, Caius, putting an eternal stop to her existence to keep the blue haired girl, Yeul, alive, second, Yeul could tell of the future but was always dying for seeing it, and thirdly, the protector of that Yeul girl, Caius, thinks he isn't dead..is dead due to pushing his dear friend, Noel, into stabbing not only Etro's heart but also his heart since Etro fuses her heart with whoever's heart she chooses, thus no longer making a separate heart."

"Fourthly, Noel, has died before in the War of Transgression, a war between Cocoon and Pulse in a paradoxical timeline that he tried to prevent. Fifthly, you, Lightning, Sazh, Snow, Fang, Serah, and Vanille never really completed your focus and had your bodies taken away from you no matter what you believe."

At this, Hope could feel his heart crushing and all he could choke out was, "I..died? That's not true!," as he clutched his stomach, trying to dispel the venomous pit of disgust that coiled within. "I was like you..when I figured out I was made only from death," Lumina nonchalantly responded. "When I figured out Bhunivelze wants to live in this fantasy where he feels as though he has finally served righteous judgement to humans. I wanted to deny my death as well. He annihilated the hearts in your bodies and put you into crystal sleep without any of you realizing that this isn't real. None of it ever was real. The vague hints given for your focus was to represent how he doesn't understand what hints of life gave humans the right to destroy one another, and slowly along the road, Bhunivelze **lost his mind.** All he could do was think not giving humans a chance to decide their own fate and taking matters into his own hand. There's more I can tell you, but I believe your mind is slowly teetering on the edge just like mine."

"It's alright though. You're not alone in this," Lumina smiled, but all Hope could see from her was something menacing. "If we die over and over again, and have someone make copies of us till we don't know our own selves anymore, at least we have the option of lying and denying." Lumina then burst into chuckles, and all Hope could see in her was something so...maddening. "So..will you come with me?"

Hope was still trying to understand everything before giving up. This girl, Lumina, was probably just saying things to confuse him. Hope didn't want to go with her but he had no other leads on Lightning and Serah and so he slowly nodded. "There is only one place illusions can go," Lumina began, delighted that he took up her offer. "And that would be the Coliseum." The world of black Lumina and Hope were shrouded in suddenly flashed to a blinding white.

As Hope's eyes finally adjusted, he saw an arena shrouded in primarily gray and blue, but what stood out the most was there was what seemed to be a knight in the midst of this..abyssal place. Hope saw his vermillion cape, golden armor, and spear glinting to emphasize the sharpness of it, which made Hope gulp.

"How many times have I told the living to not come into this domain?," the knight asked, in a dark and eerie voice. "Hold on. This is different. The stench of death is all around your souls." Hope gulped down, feeling sweat on his forehead. "Very well. I am the Arbiter of Time. I can only make a decision for the dead. What is it that you so wish?"

"I need to convince Hope that he's dead," Lumina said bluntly and Hope snapped. "I'm not dead! There's no way I would be!" Lumina ignored him before saying, "Please show him all that he's done in the timeline. You need to show him Augusta Tower." "If you so wish," the Arbiter of Time agreed, and a white light emitted from his spear and as Hope tried to cover his face from the bright light, he suddenly opened his eyes to see an older version of him standing over what looked like a device. Beside him is a girl with short blonde hair, flailing her arms around frantically for whatever reason. Hope realizes he is falling but can not help his own self up even though he tries.

Lumina is beside him,telling him to calm down and look at the timeline. Hope directs his attention back to the older version of him and hears him say, while looking at a clipboard, " We will just depend on a manmade fal'cie. Proto fal'cie Adam is under way. I'm sure it can aid us in the revival of a new cocoon."

"Right, director!," the blond lady chirps back, raising her hand to her head to give an honorary salute. The older Hope smiles momentarily before a scream fills the whole tower. "What is..?," the older Hope begins to ask before being cut off by a virtual voice. "The AI have rebelled. The AI have rebelled. Now we shall take our creators out and become superior successors." "What!" is all Hope and the lady beside him can manage to get out before being electrocuted repeatedly until they finally fell down on the cold hard ground.

"Deaths complete. Deaths complete." Hope was now..horrified. Next, he could see Serah and what seemed like a toy moogle. "Serah! Serah!," Hope tried to call out but she could not hear him. Beside her, was..who was he again? "Noel," Hope remembered before once again, the virtual voice returned. "Subjects memories are soon to be erased."

"Huh?," Serah asked, but her gaze was so..lifeless. "I was so..close to remembering who I was looking for." "Me..too," Noel whispers brokenly. Both Serah and Noel's eyes were so..hollow. "It's Lightning, Serah! Lightning!," Hope reminded, but she could not hear him. "Have we done this before?," Serah asked, her voice strained.

"This new world shall be made by our intelligence," the virtual voice said. "Erase the memories again to test for new results." Noel and Serah both fell down, wisps of electricity pulsing around them. Then, they were getting electrocuted just like the blond lady and Hope. What was most horrifying was in between each attack, they kept saying, "I remember. I don't remember. I remember. I don't remember."

"Go annihilate the monsters swarming the area," the virtual voice commanded them and without protesting, they mindlessly obeyed, slicing the monsters down. The population of creatures was getting far too large and Noel and Serah's bodies soon had gashes engraven on them as the creatures chewed on them, screams resounding in Hope's ears. Their last words were, "I remember", before their heads dropped down and Hope screamed, "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Tears slipped out of Hope's eyes, and his breathing was becoming violent.

"Why would you show me this?," Hope questioned through his broken sobbing. "Because..this is a future you chose to make the new Cocoon. Don't choose it," Lumina commanded, the tone of her voice so serious that it stung Hope. "Let me out! LET ME OUT!," Hope shouted, shaking Lumina's shoulders but she did not budge, and her face only showed apathy. "Will you not do this in the future?," Lumina asked, and Hope yelled, "I won't. I WON'T!" "There's still one more event you need to see," Lumina replied to which Hope shook his head over and over.

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYTHING ANYMORE!," Hope hollered but Lumina only gave him a stern, "You have to." "Arbiter of Time, take us to someone that will be connected to Hope in the future." Hope was shaking his head but it was too late. Now, all he could see..the Purge. He could see himself, sitting there, his teeth chattering in fear. "Pay attention. Look for a girl with blond hair," Lumina ordered but Hope only shook his head, his eyes glued to the ground. Lumina placed her hands on his head and snarled, " **Look**." "Get off me!," Hope yelled, releasing himself from her grip. His heart was racing out of his chest and all he could see was all of the people lined up for their doom.

"Why am I here? Why!?," Hope screamed, his eyes widening. "Hope," Lumina said, and Hope did not want to hear his name ever come out of her mouth. She was..cruel. "Look at it now and deny it later just like I do." Normally, that method would stick to Hope but he remembered..he vowed to never run away again, despite how afraid he could get.

"No," Hope stated firmly, rising from the ground despite his trembling legs. "I will not..do that anymore!" Lumina stared for a moment before saying, "Sure, but I doubt you'll say that later."

Hope stared at her and although she was malicious, he could see..parts of himself in her. "I don't think anyone would want to die or have to accept their dead, but let's say..I did," Hope began. "Even if I can't get my life back, I can still watch over my comrades."

"Watch them suffer," Lumina said, and Hope paused before continuing. "No, I mean. There's more than just that," Hope said, but Lumina still had a look of apathy. "What could there possibly be more to than that?," Lumina asked. "You're only saying that to hold on to some sentiment. Reality is harsh. Even if you get the answer of hope, something will always prove you wrong."

"You have disappointed me. Where's all those questions that gave me different options of entertainment?" Hope is silent before saying, "You only like questions because it allows you to run away from the truth if you can keep pondering. I was like that, but.."

"But what?," Lumina asked. "Hoping to offer some platitudes?""Think I'm immobile, huh? Struck with fear?""Is it..really that bad to be afraid?," Hope questioned, his hands shaking. "Before, I had thought so but now..I'm learning to live with it. I can't exactly say I always get rid of it, and I used to have the worst fear that I'd be left behind, but now I realize maybe my fear is sad that that's all it ever is. Maybe it's sad that it can't be anymore and that's why..it always hits me. Out of jealousy. So, when I understand the feeling of being left behind just like this "fear," I try to live with it, and show that I can keep going."

"Serah was..afraid too. Afraid of all the creatures. Afraid after the loss of her mother. That's why when Snow left..she just stayed put, but now she's trying despite her fear. Serah is..a lot like me. I try to help her when I can." The high suspense made it all so tense and all the two of them could do was soak in a deafening silence.

Despite this, Hope felt a smile playing on his lips at what he said, as memories flooded back to him. "So..your mother was also lost..trying to protect you from something bad just like mine," Hope said, and Serah nodded slowly, her lips quivering at the recollection. "That's why Lightning is so protective of me," Serah explained. "I'm the only family she has left. Though..I want to go off with Snow, she views him as painfully optimistic and ignorant, too casual to harsh reality and simple minded."

"She's not wrong," Hope had responded and Serah blurted, "Hope!" "Snow can be reckless but..he always means well." Hope pondered Serah's words and thought back to his journey with Snow after the whole confrontation about his mother. He could remember several times where Serah's words exactly applied to him. "Snow has acted rashly when I was on my journey with him."

"Tell me," Serah said. "Snow might have told me before but I still wanna hear if there's anything I missed." Hope sighed. Well..

"Hey, kid. I got us a whole stash of restoration supplies," Snow said, beaming, as he held stacks of them in his hands. "Don't call me kid, and where exactly did you get those?," Hope inquired before his answer came in the form of a roar and he gazed up to see a large gray creature with horns. "A-ahh!," Hope had shrieked out, before Snow had shoved all the supplies in a sack on his back, and grabbed Hope, placing him over his shoulders, and beginning to run.

"Hey! Put me down! What did you do, Snow? What did you do!?" "All I did was find these supplies near an Adamantoise! Sheesh, what's the hassle?," Snow asked, and Hope shrieked yet again. "Why would you do something so foolish!? That is it, Snow. You have to be the dumbest person I've ever met!" "Here, let's just fight them!," Snow casually yelled, dropping Hope down on the hard ground, making him frustrated more than ever than Snow had no sense of delicacy.

Lightning had raised her sword, saying, "I guess we have to," with annoyance sweeping her voice. Fang had merely smiled, taking it as a challenge, Vanille happily agreed with Fang and Sazh wondered why he had gotten himself in this mess, the little chocobo in his afro chirping. In the midst of it all, Hope screamed, "This is a waste of time!"

After that, Snow had come across a pack of mushrooms, and even though Hope had warned him not to, Snow picked one up and before he knew it, the satisfying taste of them soon made him sick. "I told you not to," Hope said, crossing his arms as he sat on a log across from the laid down Snow now moaning and groaning. "Great. Now we have to find healing items."

Lightning had merely walked by saying, "Moron," and continuing to look for some actually edible food. Although Hope had tried not to question it, he sometimes did find Lightning's taste in food...questionable. "Behemoth steak? Isn't that bit too tough?," Hope had once asked Lightning to which she shrugged saying, "It's good for the bones."

He shook that out of his head though to focus on whatever Snow might plan to do later for the journey. Though he was distracted by Fang's comment of how it was impossible to avoid the deliciousness of a Behemoth's steak and how it was in the blood of any hunter or warrior. "Is it..really that good?," Hope hesitantly asked and Fang held out a piece to him.

Hope stared at it before Fang chuckled a bit. "It's not going anywhere, kid." Hope would correct her when she used the term, kid, but decided to leave it aside out of his curiosity for the taste of Behemoth's steak. As he bit into it, he felt something..break. That Behemoth steak really was tough! "Ow!," Hope growled, holding on to his cheek. "How do you eat that!?" "Guess it's not for everyone, kid," Fang shrugged.

The last thing Snow did..was absolutely ridiculous. Once he had recovered, Snow's ability to pay attention was apparently lacking. Lightning had told them to stay quiet because she could sense something and wanted to sneak away from it to avoid pointless battles but here Snow was rummaging through his bag for an energy drink! When he finally had found the energy drink, it slipped out of his hand and out popped the liquid along with the loud fizzing noise.

"Aww, man," Snow groaned and out came the creatures that Lightning had urged to sneak away from. "SNOW!," Lightning and Hope yelled, and Snow laughed nervously, as he said, "Sorry sis and bro." "Don't call us that," Lightning and Hope simultaneously said as they now had no option but to fight. Needless to say, Snow was an impulsive person.

Serah found herself laughing, saying, "Yep, that's my Snow. He doesn't change." It wasn't that Hope doubted that Snow meant well, but it wasn't always easy to simply gloss over his mistakes. Still, it was as Serah was saying. He was trying. "I wonder..how I could of helped," Serah states, snapping Hope out of his thoughts.

"All I could do was..stay in that crystal, horrified that I'd never get out, but..I had some happy dreams in there too. Dreams of when I could see Lightning and Snow again. I'd like to try..despite my fear." Serah was smiling but her hand was shaking and her eyes were wide with fear. "Serah," Hope said, before placing his hand on top of hers. "It won't be easy but..I know you can do it.""There's a lot more you can do than you think." "Thanks Hope," Serah said, her muscles relaxing and this time she could offer a genuine smile. Before Hope could delve deeper in the moment, he was brought back to reality. "You're too soft. Time will fix you into despair," Lumina said, with a sinister smile.

Hope decided to ignore this for now and look for the blonde girl Lumina had wanted him to find. As his eyes flitted across the whole Purge, he finally saw one girl, eyes scared and blonde hair in disarray. The bridges are descending downward due to blasts of explosions and that blond girl is screaming, along with another brunette girl that is holding onto her. "Don't let go. Were friends, Alyssa," the brunette girl pleaded, but Alyssa was horrified, and as the explosions moved closer to her she dropped the girl's hand and decided to run instead. "ALYSSA!," the girl screamed, but Alyssa just rain hysterically with a gleeful smile on her face repeating, "I'm safe! I'm safe!", though she is shocked to find the bridge crash into tiny pieces, sending her to plummet to her death. As she falls down, there is a purple haired man floating midair with her. "That's it. This is the end," Alyssa thinks.

The setting changed from the Purge to a place that was only old rubble.

"You're the first to not spare their own friends in a desolate place. You wish to not be dead? You could be of great use, couldn't you?," Caius inquired.

"W-who are you!? W-where am I? I am dead, aren't I!?," Alyssa asked, panicking even more than before. "The answer to never dying is who I am ," Caius simply responded. "You are dead but souls that have died either fade permanently or have a second chance with the Void Beyond. This is the Void Beyond. That is if they can see past the dreams their heart so much as desire. Only two people have ever managed to do that. One that is a twin bladed hunter and the other a rose haired adventurer. This won't change the fact that you were dead before."

"I can be brought to life!? I'll do whatever needs to be done!," Alyssa shouted, and the rubble disappears into a blurry world, mirroring..Palumpolum. "She's from..my home town!?," Hope asked, but there was no one there. "How odd. You do not possess a clear dream?," Caius voice boomed over the fading remnants of Palumpolum. "No," Alyssa said solemnly. "My whole life has only been about me. I shall not carry anyone's life in my hands. My justice shall be death if I so much as try to control the matters of life and death."

Caius now understood why the Void Beyond could not reflect a dream. Her motives were very unclear as they seemed like they were either helping others in some odd divine judgment complex or just getting by only for themselves. This was an unlikely scenario but those with an unclear dream were usually used by..Bhunivelze.

Suddenly, another voice boomed over the decaying Palumpolum. "What an interesting human being. No one has ever had this mindset. All of them have been so..selfish. I, Bhunivelze, am a divine god, merely observing to see in what ways I can assist this humanity. I shall not hurt you for I can not see inside hearts though as a respect of free will and wanting kindness. Perhaps you can help take up servants for me to lead this world onto the right path. One crucial part is of course preserving the life of Yeul, another one of my servants."

Alyssa smiled, taking any chance to get closer to being back alive. "I shall do so then, my lord Bhunivelze." Caius tossed an artifact to Alyssa and said, "Once you have met two people named Noel and Serah, give them this. It will ensure your life and Yeul's life. You must meet a man named Hope and forge alliances with him. You'll start doing this by being a researcher in the Bresha Ruins." "Understood," Alyssa replied tonelessly, and Hope and Lumina were back in the Coliseum. "I knew it," Lumina thought. "Bhunivelze can't see inside the hearts of humanity. You're not being used, Lightning. Open your eyes, or we'll all have to spend time in this illusion for eternity!"

Lumina glanced at Hope saying, "There you go. You need to find the older version of yourself and prevent these events from happening while also looking for Lightning and Serah."

Lumina stepped towards the gates of the Coliseum and Hope asked, "Where are we..going?" Lumina paused. "All of this is still hard to swallow down but I have no leads elsewise and it seems I'm stuck with you anyway." Lumina turns back, answering, "Were going to the Dead Dunes and then the Bresha Ruins."

Author's Note: Yep. This is a little bit of why I think Alyssa could of been a very, very interesting villain and Lumina in a bizarre way, an anti villain. I hinted at the Paradox ending for Augusta Tower when Noel and Serah couldn't remember anything and the Paradox ending, "A Giant Mistake," for Noel's death. I wanted to incorporate the Paradox ending when Serah said Yes to staying with Lightning in the Void Beyond, but I couldn't exactly find time too. One Paradox ending I did find that I want to play around with later in my story is "The Future is Hope." That, hands down, to me, is the BEST PARADOX ENDING. Man, I wrote a lot of dark aspects in this chapter, but at least I was able to add some Snow antics to lighten the mood, right? Anyway, thanks for reading and tune in to next chapter! Why could Lumina have possibly suggested the Dead Dunes to Hope?


End file.
